


The Awakening

by korrasamishipper



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-02-20 01:04:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2409428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/korrasamishipper/pseuds/korrasamishipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra wakes up after her fight with Zaheer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you find mistakes in my writing or something that doesn't make sense and needs clarification please tell me, I want to improve my writing so it's a big help. Also originally i wrote this chapter on my phone and when I actually read over it I realized it looked like a 5 year old wrote it, so I fixed it up a bit like a week after I posted it so yeah it might be a tiny bit different than when I first posted it.

Korra opened her eyes and allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness around her. She soon realized that she was in her room on Air Temple Island, the familiar window frame and the feel of her bed giving it away. She couldn’t recall how she got there, but she remembered everything that happened before the avatar state took over with her fight with the Red Lotus.

Korra ached and when she tried to sit up a sharp pain went through her entire body. She suppressed a scream, but a loud groan still made its way from her clenched teeth. All of the sudden something next to her shifted.

Korra’s reflexes told her to do something, anything, to just move and get away from whatever was in the room with her, but she couldn’t, the pain was too much.

“Korra?”

Korra’s tension slipped away as she realized that it was Asami that was in the room with her. Her voice sounded surprised, relieved and scared all at the same time.

“What happened?” Korra asked hoarsely.

All Korra heard for an answer was Asami sniffling in the darkness.

“Asami? What happened? Tell me,” Korra started to get scared. Why couldn’t Asami just answer her? Was Korra dying? What happened? “Asami, please. Am I… is Zahe…”

Korra never finished saying the name as she felt Asami lunge at her, hugging her and sobbing. “You’re ok, Korra you’re ok,” Asami held Korra tightly in her hands. “I thought I lost you today,” Asami cried into Korra’s shoulder.

“Zaheer almost…he…” Asami couldn’t finish.

Korra tried to hug her back, but her arms were too tired and there was too much pain when she tried to move. After a while Asami calmed down a bit and looked into Korra’s eyes, “I’m really happy that you survived.”

“Yeah,” Korra said softly as she looked away from her companion.

“Where’s Zaheer?”

“They took him to prison, he won’t get out again.”

“Ok.”

Korra suddenly felt exhausted and her limbs started to singe.

“Ah, Asami my legs! Ouch! Ow, they feel like they’re on fire!” Korra yelled, her hands clenching onto the bed. She felt her heart beating impossibly fast as her legs burned. Asami jumped off the avatar and ran out of the room yelling desperately for a doctor, for someone who could help, for anyone. Sweat poured down Korra’s temples, and she screamed.

After what felt like an eternity, Asami sprinted back into the room followed by a doctor, and then by what seemed like the entire population of the island. So many people there, seeing her in this state made Korra mad. How can they think this is ok, to stand   
and watch her when she’s at her weakest.

The doctor took out the water from his pouch and it started to glow as it washed over Korra’s legs. The pain dulled, but it was still unbearable.

“Get them out! GET OUT!” Korra screamed to the group of the people in her room. She saw Mako and Bolin leave the room followed by the Beifongs and finally Aang’s family. The only people left in the room were the doctor, Korra’s father, and Asami, but she   
was also beginning to move towards the door. Korra felt panic as her best friend began to leave.

“Asami, stay. Please,” she begged, her voice was shrill and she was crying.

Asami’s eyes widened in surprised, but she came back over to the bed anyway, taking Korra’s hand even as it was still gripping the covers. As their hands touched, Korra’s hand released its grip on the bed and took Asami’s instead. She gripped her tightly for the rest of the healing session.

Korra didn’t see her father leave but when the doctor finished up, and her face was no longer contorted in pain, she saw that only Asami was with her.

“I’m sorry,” Korra said, “for not stopping them sooner. Some avatar I turned out to be.”

“What? Why are you sorry? You did everything right. Everything you’ve done made this world better and no one can say otherwise. It’s barely been a year since you came here and already you saved this city and the word so many times.” Asami looked as determined as a person could, “you are an amazing avatar and you did all that yourself.”

Korra just looked at her as tears shed from the blue eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been beta’d by the lovely tumblr user loizeaux!

It’s been three days since the battle, and Korra wasn’t getting any better. She was in constant pain, her whole body sore and hurting, except her legs. She had lost all feeling in her legs soon after waking up that night following the fight. The doctor stayed on the island and checked on her several times a day, but there was not much he could do for her, other than to have her wait. He told Tonraq that the poison damaged Korra’s nerves, but she would be able to regain some feeling after physical therapy. 

Asami stayed too. She was always by Korra's side, ready at a moment’s notice to do whatever she needed. She remained in Korra’s room most of the time, waiting for her to get better, and even resorted to sleeping on a cot, by her bed. Korra, however, never uttered a word. She just laid there, her body convulsing from the occasional pains. The doctor told them that the pain would subside soon, since the poison was out of her system, but Korra wasn’t getting better. Asami thought that, if anything, she was getting worse.

Korra spent all day staring at the ceiling, not moving, sweat covering her body as she tried to ignore the pain. Occasionally it would get unbearable, and she would whimper, as tears poured down the sides of her face, while Asami held her hand and attempted to distract her. 

After three days of this, Asami had enough. When Korra’s father came in to check up on her, Asami quietly left the room to track down Lin or Suyin. She entered the living room where everyone usually gathered, and saw Suyin pouring herself some tea, Bolin napping on the couch, his head in Opal’s lap, and Jinora chatting quietly with Kai at the table. They all looked her way as she entered, save for the sleeping boy. The surprise was evident in their faces as they watched her approach the older woman.

“Asami, has something happened to Korra?” Kai asked quickly, his face looking panicked.

“No, she’s with her dad,” Asami spoke, softly, sounding tired and worn out. “Suyin, can I have a word with you please.”

“Of course,” Suyin put the pot down and followed Asami out as the others followed them across the room with their eyes. When they were behind closed doors they spoke.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Are you sure you got all the poison out?”

Suyin’s eyes widened. “Um, I believe so. I’m not sure, everything was happening so quickly, I just pulled the metal out as fast as I could.”

“Can you check? I can’t watch her suffer like that. She’s my best friend. Please,” Asami pleaded.

“Let’s go,” Suyin said with strong resolve.

They marched down to Korra’s room, getting the doctor on the way there, in case something went wrong. When they told Korra what they planned to try, she looked surprised. Asami’s heart leaped in her chest as she watched Korra display some emotion. Tonraq removed himself from the chair by her bed, as soon as they told him the plan, and Suyin took his place. As she settled in, she closed her eyes in concentration and lifted her hands over Korra’s body. 

“I feel it!” She said, startled. “It’s coursing through her bloodstream.”

“Can you get it out!” Korra shouted as she tried to sit up. As soon as her muscles readied to lift her up, she let out a loud scream, as her face contorted in pain.

“Korra!” Asami was by her side in a blink of an eye, grabbing her hand and holding her shoulder down gently in an attempt to comfort her.

“Ok, Korra. I’m going to begin. Stay still,” Suyin started to move her hands along the length of Korra’s body in small, circular patterns.

Asami felt Korra grip her hand tightly, and saw the strain in the girl’s face as Suyin bent a minuscule amount of poison out of her mouth. As soon as the metal was out, Korra relaxed a little, until she looked over at the metal that was floating above her.

“That’s it?” Korra felt defeated. There was barely any poison taken out, a small handful, which meant that her body really was that harmed, and it wasn't the metal in her that was doing it, because there wasn't any trace of it left. “Get out,” she whispered. 

“Korra?” Asami didn't know if Korra wanted her gone too.

Korra just turned her head towards the wall and laid there quietly, so Asami stood up and followed everyone out the room. Tonraq took one of the chairs that sat outside her room and sat down. He motioned for Asami to join him, and she pulled up another chair.

“She’ll get better, you know,” Asami told the waterbender.

“I have no doubt that she will,” he smiled at her gently. “In fact, I honestly believe she’ll come out stronger.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, and they sat there in silence for a long time, guarding the person they loved most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Korra still has poison in her, even after this chapter. I just thought it would be cool if Su was a bit careless at the battlefield and didn't properly treat Korra. So she still has the poison she later took out at the swamp in her.


	3. Chapter 3

Asami cursed at the traffic light as it turned red before she could pass it. She slammed down the on breaks nearly causing the car behind her to crash into her. Her fingers drummed against the steering wheel sporadically, and her left foot tapped against the foot mat by the crutch. She didn’t have time for this; the vice-presidents of Future Industries had requested a meeting with her since she was absent for so long due to her journey with the Avatar. The meeting was not nearly as urgent as they made it out to be and she ended up with most of the day wasted. She glared at the red bulb above the street, willing it to hurry the hell up, until it changed to green, and she was off. Her car purred loudly as she raced down crowded streets, weaving between cars and trolleys. Her hand was clamped down onto the gearstick, knuckles white, shifting the speeds occasionally to accommodate the reckless driving she displayed. She pulled into her parking space by the docks, a trip that usually took nearly half an hour, in only ten minutes’ time. The sun was already beginning it’s descend when she started her motor boat and steered herself towards the island where the person she cared for most resided.  
***  
Asami entered the living room of the temple and began walking down the hall to the women’s quarters. The closer she got to Korra’s room the more anxious she felt. What if Korra felt extra bad today and I wasn’t there. Asami pushed the thought out of her head as she reached the room. She placed her palm on the door, preparing to open it, and stopped dead in her tracks. She could hear Meelo shouting giddily, and Ikki arguing with Jinora, but what made her stop was another sound: Korra’s laughter.   
She gently pushed the door open and poked her head through. The scene unfolding around her was not what she expected to see. Every surface in the room was covered in lemurs. The desk, the top of the closet, the windowsill, and most of the floor all had lemurs on it, crowding each other. The ones who weren’t sitting were flying around the room haphazardly. She saw Meelo flying around the room on his scooter, trying to catch one, determination etched on his childish face. Ikki was standing at the foot of Korra’s bed, hands tensing at her sides as she yelled at her older sister about not getting to be the one to sit closest to Korra, while Jinora tried her best to ignore her sister and instead focused on telling Korra about her upcoming ceremony. 

Even with all the chaos going on, Asami’s eyes drifted to the girl resting in the bed. Korra was leaning back against the headboard of the bed, holding her stomach as she laughed so hard that tears poured from her eyes. She was covered in lemurs: one on either shoulder, several in her lap, and one perched on her head. They swarmed around the bed and Meelo glided over her in time to catch one, finally. And Korra was laughing.

Asami dared not to walk in on the moment, wanting it to last for as long as it could, and so she took another look at her dear friend and quietly shut the door. She took her spot in a chair outside the room, the same chair she sat in when she talked to Korra’s father, and waited.  
***  
She must have dozed off because when she opened her eyes the corridor was dark, the lanterns no longer lit, and the room next to her lacked the chattering of an army of lemurs. She realized that someone put a blanket on her as she slept, and she carefully slipped it off of herself and stood up to check on Korra. She silently slid the door open and peeked in. Korra seemed to be sleeping, the light from her window cascading her in a cool glow. Asami was about to let her be, when a broken whisper pieced the air.

“Please don’t leave.”

Asami could have sworn that people across the island could have heard the sound of her heart breaking. This was different, wrong. For the past eleven days she watched Korra break down nearly every night, but those sobs were raw and uncontained, those were the type of sobs that made the shoulders shake and the breathing hitch, the type that made the chest hurt. What Asami witnessed as she approached her at this moment was not a weeping, shaking girl, it was much worse. Korra lay in her bed, Asami could now tell that she was staring at her ceiling, clutching the covers to her chest. Her face wasn’t red and puffy from crying, it was stoic. Her eyes were red and the bags under them were prominent not from the crying but from tiredness, yet tear-streaks glistened down her temples and into her hair. 

The scariest part was that Korra looked calm. Asami was in such despair about Korra always looking anguished these past days, that she could never imagine herself wishing to see a sad Korra. But that’s what she wanted to see now. She knew how to help a sad Korra, she would hold her and talk to her in hushed tones, she would distract her. She did not, however, know what to do with a calm and eerily quiet Korra who was obviously in more pain than Asami ever seen her in. 

Asami stopped by Korra’s bed, terrified for her. She felt tears pool at her eyes and fall to her cheeks.

“Korra. What happened?” Her voice broke halfway through the sentence.

“Can we just lay here for a little while?”

Asami sat on the edge of her bed and took Korra’s hand into her own, gripping it tightly. In that moment she felt beyond helpless. “Korra, earlier today…with the kids…you seemed so-” happy. Asami realized what she almost said. Her eyes locked onto Korra’s, but she didn’t react to Asami’s carelessness and continued staring at her ceiling. Asami’s hands trembled, so she held Korra’s hand tighter in an attempt to stifle the shaking. Korra must have noticed. She tore her gaze away and finally looked at Asami, her brows scrunched up in worry and she leaned up on her elbows. 

“How was your day ‘Sami?” she whispered, her tone full of compassion.

“My day?” Asami asked incredulously.

“Yeah. Was it ok?”

“I should have been here with you.”

“That bad huh?”

“It’s not my day I’m worried about. Korra, you’re acting weird.”

“You mean I’m not crying my guts out? Let’s face it, I’ll never get better so there’s no point in fighting it.” Korra spoke calmly and evenly, even though tears still slid from her eyes.

Asami couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Korra, her Korra, giving up so quickly, it was unheard of. Her giving up at all was unheard of. “I don’t want to ever hear you say that. Do you understand? Never. Say. That. Again.”

“Asami I’m broken, literally. Nothing is working like it should and my legs don’t work at all. I can’t even get off the damn bed let alone create world peace.” Her voice steadily picked up in volume and intensity, her anger suddenly slipping through. “I can’t feed myself or clothe myself. Everyone is pitying me, and you can’t even go to work without feeling guilty as shit. You think I don’t notice? I’m not stupid Asami! I might be rash and impulsive, but I’m not stupid. Don’t you see? I’ve been fulfilling my duty for less than two years and I nearly died three damn times! It’s one psycho after another and it will never stop!”

“It will st-”

“It won’t! Not in this lifetime, not in the next! The Avatars have been doing this for ten thousand years. Ravaa did it alone for spirits know how long before Wan came along. It will NEVER stop! The world says it doesn’t need me?! Fuck them! I’ve been out of commission for less than two weeks and they’re running to me already. The earth kingdom is crumbling, and they expect me to fix it, but I CAN’T. And if I could, they would find something to be unhappy about. Asami this world broke me.”

“I don’t care about the world Korra. I need you. You know that. Please…just don’t give up.”

“Asami, I wanted this so bad, but we can’t do it right now. I can’t handle it. …I can’t handle much of anything at the moment.”

“Then recover,” Asami whispered so quietly that Korra almost missed it.

Korra looked at her with so much pain in her eyes. “How?”

“We’ll figure it out.”

They just stayed there, in the quiet and dark room, for several minutes before Asami spoke up again.

“You know, it’s funny, we never acknowledged it before now.”

“I know how you feel, you know how I do, we both acknowledged it, we just never talked about it.”

“Why is that?” Asami asked curiously.

“I don’t know. Maybe we both know there’s no time for that right now.”

Asami released Korra’s hand and took off her shoes, before lying down next to her. She wrapped her arm around Korra’s waist and rested her head against Korra’s shoulder. “I’ll wait for you, you know. I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

“I know.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me too long to update. My bad.

Korra lay in bed staring at Asami’s side of her pillow, thinking about yesterday. Jinora’s ceremony went well yesterday and even though she was exhausted half way through it, she held out till the end. Asami made it bearable, making sure to steer clear of Raiko and getting her whatever she needed. Meelo helped too; he sat on her lap talking about how he would get his tattoos at an even younger age than Jinora even if he had to make them himself. The boy spent nearly an hour just relaxing on her, playing with a marble and Korra was amazed at how the young nomad behaved around her. He usually couldn’t sit still for more than five minutes, so the fact that he put so little effort in just hanging out with her made her tear up from happiness for the first time in a terribly long time.

Asami stayed with her through the night again and the nightmares weren’t as bad as when she wasn’t there, but they were still terrifying. At one point she was thrashing so wildly that she managed to clip Asami in the face with her elbow, busting her lip. She couldn’t fall asleep after that, not while Asami was next to her. So after apologizing for the fiftieth time, Korra asked her to leave the room, even as Asami assured her that it was okay and that she wasn’t mad. So here Korra was, lying in the same spot since morning, looking at the brown blotch of dried blood on the pillow. The guilt consumed her. She’s felt this way for the past two weeks, especially since Asami spent all of her time fussing over Korra and was unable to take care of herself and her business like she should have, but she hurt Asami and that was the final straw. 

Their conversation from a few days ago played back in her head.

‘Then recover’ Asami told her. 

Korra knew what she had to do then. She couldn’t stay here, not right now. Everyone was putting their lives on hold for her, while the Earth Kingdom crumbled and the destruction she caused with the vines was putting the city at a standstill. The Air Nation hadn’t had a chance to have a moment of peace, Asami had ignored the majority of her responsibilities of her company, her father had taken weeks off from his duty to his people, and all of it was because Korra couldn’t save herself.

She heard a knock on the door, echoing through the room, and bringing her out of her thoughts. 

“Korra? Sweetheart?” Senna’s concerned voice rang out from behind the door.

“Come in,” Korra managed to reply.

“Hi honey. How are you feeling today?” Senna walked over to her bedside after closing the door andsat by her daughter, smoothing down Korra’s hair soothingly.

The only answer Korra could manage was a grunt.

“Asami is okay; Kya healed her as soon as she saw. She’s not upset you know, other than getting kicked out of here that is,” Senna said with a small smile that Korra missed so much.

Korra felt a tear slide down her face, as her chin trembled. She finally looked at her mother, and realized that she looked older than when she first got here a couple weeks ago. It was like she aged in the short time that she was here with her daughter. Worry lines looked deeper on her face, and the exhaustion in her eyes was nearly palpable. Korra did this to her; it was because of her defeat that everyone was this way. Her heart ached at how much her mom changed since the last time she saw her. Even before she ran to Republic City Korra hadn’t seen her parents that often, but she never went so long without them before. “Mom? I can’t stay here anymore. I messed up. Everything is broken: the city, the nation, me. I need to leave. I can’t be here.” Korra felt pity for herself at the sound of her broken voice. She shouldn’t have sounded like that, she should be strong, she should be a paragon for the people who looked up to her. She thought about all the letters she’s received over the past year from little kids telling her how inspiring she was and how they wanted to be avatars too. She needed to be strong, and this was not her being strong. 

“Do you want to go home?”

This was Korra’s home. She hadn’t lived with her parents since she was four and the compound felt like a giant chore, a leash, not home. No this was her home, with the people she made a family with. This was where she saw her first pro-bending match, it was where she first made friends other than Naga, it was where she had her first mission as the avatar. This was where more happened in her life in a year and a few months than in the past seventeen years in the south pole. No she wasn’t going home, she was leaving it, but she couldn’t stay right now, there was no other option.

“Yeah,” she said, her voice feeling raw and tender from misuse.

“Okay, I’ll go tell your father, unless you want me to stay?”

“No… thanks mom.” Senna gave her a light kiss on the forehead and got up to leave. “Can you not tell anyone else yet?”

“Of course honey. Can I ask you something? Are you and Asami…”

“No. We’re not.”

Senna gave a slight nod and sighed heavily. “You wanna know something? When your dad first came to the south, he was welcomed with open arms, the people loved him. He was actually the man who allowed the South to trade with the earth Kingdom freely and without paying taxes to the North for it,” Senna said with pride. “His father was skeptical about his decision, but it all worked out for the better and the South is better off now more than ever. That’s the kind of man you father is; he makes things better, he leads. You want to know something else? I turned him down three times before agreeing to a date. He had a lot on his shoulders, even after his banishment and he took an active role in improving Harbor city. I was just a city girl, barely out of healers school, living with my parents, and I loved him and he loved me, but I thought it was best if I didn’t become a distraction for him. I desperately wanted him, but I thought that I had to sacrifice that so that he could be happy.”

“Mom-”

“No hear me out Korra. I saw how you two are. I’m not gonna tell you what to do, because I know you’ll do whatever you feel is right and I trust you to make that decision on your own, but don’t do anything rash. You are hurt, and overwhelmed so I’m just asking you to think it over, take some time to come to a decision, before you make a decision.” She began rubbing Korra’s back, raking her fingers down her tense muscles gently. “Just don’t forget that your recovery is the most important thing right now. I don’t want to see you this way, and neither do the other people who love you. So for now whatever you decide, think of your wellbeing first and foremost.”

Korra let the words sink in as she lay there, comforted by her mother’s presence.

***

By the time night fell, Korra made the decision that she definitely needed time away. Her mother was still by her side telling her little stories about her clinic and the patients she had over the years while gently caressing her. The shadows danced and flickered around the room as the flame in the lantern swayed from the breathe coming in through the window. 

“Well it’s getting late. Do you want me to stay with you?” Senna asked her kindly.

“No, it’s okay,” Korra whispered.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I love you mom.”

“I love you too honey.”

Senna moved to leave the room but before she closed the door after herself she quickly turned to Korra, said, “I’m going to send Asami over,” and left before Korra could reply. And so Korra waited, her fingers lazily traced the blood stain, and her mind raced, thinking up what she would tell Asami. It didn’t take long, Asami never made her wait if she could help it, and soon her door was softly slid open as a tall figure slipped in quietly. Asami gently sat next to her, took her hand, preventing Korra from touching the red any longer, and intertwined their fingers together.

“How’s your lip?”

“It’s good, not a trace left.” Korra looked onto the blotch on the pillow, as Asami followed her gaze and squeezed Korra’s hand. “Korra, look at me. I’m not the one who’s hurt.”

“I know that I’m messed up! Why does everyone keep reminding me? I know better than anyone here how I’m feeling!” Korra nearly shouted at her.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I am. Dammit why do I keep snapping at people? Why do I keep snapping at you?” They sat in silence and Korra noticed how Asami never seemed nervous and awkward around her, while the others were usually much more stiff and fidgety during their visits. She looked content and comfortable. Her thumb rubbed little circles on Korra’s knuckles as they stayed there enjoying each other’s company. 

“Why do I feel so angry all the time?” Korra’s voice was a whisper but the silence of the night made it sound unnaturally loud. 

“It’s not your fault. Your mom told me about heavy metal poisoning. She said it can have an effect on moods, so probably it’s that.”

Korra stayed quiet for a minute, working up the nerve to tell Asami about what she was planning to do. Korra wondered if her decision had anything to do with the poison messing up her brain, what if she was making a mistake because something in her head broke. No that couldn’t be it, because there was no way Korra would be so sure about leaving if her head was not all there. 

Asami’s shadow flickered on the wall, distracting Korra from her train of thought. She looked at the strands of hair peeking out over Asami’s face, at her slightly messy clothes, at the small circles under her eyes. Asami looked exhausted and worn; Korra could even bet that she skipped lunch and maybe even dinner to catch up on work. What if now was not the time to share the news with her, but then when would she do it? No, it was now or never. 

“I’m going away for a bit.” She felt Asami tense beside her, as the girl furrowed her perfect brows in confusion.

“What?...Where?”

“I’m gonna go back to the south for a few weeks. A change of scenery would do me good.”

“Oh, okay…” Asami said, sounding utterly confused. “…the company is doing well so I can take a vacation for a couple weeks. That’s no problem. And anything important I can deal with over the radio. I guess I’ll pack tomorrow?” she said sincerely. Silence lingered around them, uncomfortable and anticipatory. 

“Asami-”

“It’s not a problem, honestly. I can go call right now and have the board members handle things for a couple weeks!” Korra could hear the desperation in Asami’s voice and it broke her heart.

Korra remembered what her mom said to her earlier about how important it was for Korra to focus on herself and her recovery. Asami had a life here, a career, a business that she spent countless hours rebuilding, so many hours that Korra barely saw her in the six months after Amon’s fall. No Asami needed to stay, and Korra, well she had to fix herself. 

“No, I need to do this on my own.”

“Oh…Of course. Whatever you need to get better. I mean- yeah, if you need to do this then- yeah.”

Korra’s thumb brushed against her knuckles softly.

“Asami? It will be okay. Right?” Korra really didn’t know if it would be.

Asami looked at her with determined eyes, if somewhat watery, and held her hand tighter. “Yes, I promise. You know how I know? Because you always make it okay in the end.” Asami shifted on the mattress and laid down facing Korra. She pulled her in, wrapping her arm around Korra’s waist gently and rested her head in the crook of her neck. “And you saved me, before, after Amon’s reign. You really did. I was in such a bad place back then and I wanted to run, but you kept me here. And it was the greatest thing anyone had ever done for me. Sometimes I think about what my life would be like right now if I actually did leave to the United Forces. And all I see down that path is loneliness. Korra, you had the strength to hold on to me when everyone else let go, so I’m gonna try to find the strength to let you go when everything is holding you back.” Tears fell down to their pillow and Asami sniffled in an attempt to regain control.

“I’m going to try get better. For everyone.” Korra pulled Asami in closer, intertwining their legs together and warming up the usually cold engineer. Eventually the tension Asami displayed slipped away as sleep enveloped her. Korra lightly kissed the top of her head and blew out the lantern before closing her eyes and drifting off.

***

One Year Ago

Korra merrily navigated the dark halls of Air Temple Island, swinging her hands as she walked, holding her chin high and smiling goofily. Everything was perfect! She got her bending back, managed to enter the avatar state, and even figured out how to return others’ bending. She just had an amazing date with Mako and then they came back here for dinner with everyone and everything was just perfect. She was making her way to her room, the moonlight the only thing preventing her from walking into walls, when she heard a door slide open down the hall. A figure emerged quietly, a bulky bag on her shoulders weighing her down. Korra watched as Asami looked back into her room one more time, her fingers gliding gently along the door frame, and began walking away.

“Asami?” Korra said questioningly. The girl froze misstep as if caught doing something she shouldn’t be doing. “Where are you going?”

Asami turned to her, and Korra saw the sadness etched onto her perfect features. The moonlight reflected off the tear streaks flowing down her face, and Asami quickly dropped her head, her hair curtaining her face. “Goodbye Korra.” With that Asami turned, but before she could walk away Korra quickly reached her and grabbed her backpack and when Asami didn’t try to break free she pulled it off carefully and placed it back inside Asami’s room before closing the door and guiding Asami outside gently with her hand on the girl’s lower back. 

“Let’s go for a walk.” Asami allowed herself to be led and soon they were approaching the shores of the island’s small lagoon. As they neared the water, Korra stopped and sat on the sand, tapping the space next to her, inviting Asami to join her. Asami cautiously lowered herself, leaving a couple feet of space between them. Korra looked at the waves as they crashed onto the sand, the small droplets of water spraying her arms and face.

“I want to thank you,” Korra said quietly. Asami turned to her and waited for Korra to continue. Blue irises met green and Korra turned her full attention back to the woman next to her.

“I know that you lost everything to help me, and I’m grateful to have a teammate like you. And I really wished that I was wrong about your dad, and I’m really glad that I was wrong about you.” Korra spoke softly, cautiously.

Asami broke their eye contact as her lip began to tremble. Korra awkwardly shuffled over to her boyfriend’s ex and impishly wrapped her arm around Asami’s shoulders as she began weeping. As she cried, Asami leaned into Korra and grabbed at her shirt, tugging her closer desperately. Korra owed Asami so much; she initiated the events that ruined Asami’s life yet Asami risked everything to help her anyway. Asami clutched at her as sobs heaved through her slender frame. Eventually the sobbing turned into whimpers and the whimpers into the occasional sniffle. Korra still had Asami in a grip, holding her securely. She didn’t know what to do and for the most part it was still awkward between them, but she did know that Asami was an important part of her team and Korra really did like her.

She sighed heavily, and rubbed Asami’s back, as she softly spoke again. “I don’t want you to leave. You’re my friend, and I don’t know…”

“I’m going to join the United Forces. Maybe I’ll even end up helping people,” Asami said, taking Korra aback.

“But what about your company?”

“Future Industries doesn’t exactly have the best reputation right now. I don’t know how to fix it, and I don’t even know if it’s really worth it.”

“I think it is. I mean it’s something that your parents built up from scratch right? So it is worth it.” Korra squeezed Asami’s shoulder affectionately.

“Why are you doing this?”

Korra shrugged and looked over the ocean again. “I don’t know. Maybe I believe that you can do more here than in the army. You don’t really seem like someone who would enjoy boot camp.”

Asami chuckled at that and finally lifted herself off of Korra, busying herself with fixing her wrinkled pants and jacket. “I just don’t feel like there’s anything here for me anymore,” she whispered quietly, and Korra realized that she wasn’t meant to hear it. A pang of guilt went through her, and she looked over the heiress who inherited a broken company from a terrible man. So with nothing else she could do, she stood up and offered the other girl her hand, who took it hesitantly, and led Asami back in silence. 

When they finally reached the dorms Korra released her hand and, with as much positivity as she could muster, announced to her that tomorrow they would both go to Tenzin and ask about possible contracts that Asami could work out with him for her company to undertake. She saw Asami smile and watched her confidence seep back into her the next day when Tenzin told her about several small contracts that people he knew were in need of. She watched the engineer spend more and more time away from their little circle of friends and although Korra was happy that Asami had the fight back in her, she was also painfully aware that Asami found solace in a company that was in all sense of the word finished. It broke Korra’s heart as Asami fought with everything she had for something that had so little chance of salvation.


	5. Chapter 5

The cruiser slowly receded towards the horizon, the waves reflecting the sun making it harder and harder to make out the metal hull. The ocean spray dampened Asami’s hair and they were already beginning to frizz at the tips, but she paid no attention to it. It’s been twenty minutes since Korra left and already Asami regretted not forcing Korra to take her. Bolin was sitting next to her on the dock, his legs dangling back and forth, and Pabu chattered while perched on his shoulder. The two of them sat in silence and Asami appreciated it more than Bolin was probably aware of. The silence didn’t really last, however, and soon he began telling her about what he planned to write to Korra later tonight, and how he’ll send her a letter at least four times a week until she comes back because he’s well off now that he’s famous and postage is no longer a big issue for him. Asami couldn’t help but smile when Bolin moved from topic to topic excitedly and soon enough his actor-voice came out, and by the time the ship was completely out of sight Asami was smiling and laughing at his jokes, and at one point Bolin got so engrossed in his tales that he accidentally flung Pabu into the water below. 

After Nuktuk performed a daring rescue of the ferret, and sat back down alongside Asami in his drenched clothes, while Pabu decided to rest in her lap instead of Bolin’s, Asami’s mind drifted off again to the girl that was sailing further and further from her every moment. Bolin sighed deeply, drummed his fingers on the pier, and turned to her with a thoughtful look on his face. 

“Yes, Bo?” Asami turned her attention to him and smiled expectantly. 

“Well I was wondering about something. How come you asked to go with Korra? I mean like, I get why, but also it’s only a few weeks right? And you have your business, and last time you were in the South you were always cold.”

Asami didn’t expect anyone to read into her interaction with Korra, let alone Bolin, the boy who thought he was dating Ginger during his mover star days, and then couldn’t tell if Opal liked him or not when she blatantly flirted with him. Was she really that obvious in her affections? She thought for a moment before answering him, looking for a good way to answer his question without giving him more reason to speculate.

“Well, Korra is my best friend, and I really care about her.” She petted Pabu absentmindedly as she answered him.

“No, no, I know that. What confused me was how you’re so willing to just leave.”

“I can work from anywhere really, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Okay, I guess.” Bolin quieted down for a minute and seemed to be thinking over what Asami just told him. He leaned back on his arms and looked at the sky with furrowed brows, and then turned back to her. “But like, Mako didn’t offer to go, and he loves Korra.”

A pang of jealousy shot through Asami at the mention of the officer’s feelings, but she swallowed it down. Korra liked her, not their ex, and that was that so there was no point in being hung up on that. 

“Mako really cares about his career, and he can’t really be RCPD if he’s not here can he?”

“But we’ve been gone for months searching for airbenders, and the chief was fine with it.”

“I don’t know Bolin. Maybe he just didn’t think to ask her.”

“Maybe.” He twiddled his thumbs for a while and spoke up once again. “But wait. If Korra let you take care of her for the past three weeks, and you were basically the only person other than her mom that she really spoke to, then why didn’t she just let you come. You made her feel better, shouldn’t she want you there?”

Asami ran a hand through her hair, and sighed deeply. “I don’t know Bo. Can we not talk about this?”

“Okay… Did you know that she asked about you a lot?” His voice lightened up and he was back to his cheery self.

“What? When?”

“After the equalist thing. Like when you got really busy with your company. I know you had your hands full and couldn’t hang out with us all the time, but she would always say how she wished you could join us.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, in the beginning whenever we got together she would always ask me why you didn’t come, and whether I forgot to invite you or something.” He grew quieter again. “After a while she stopped asking though.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t really have time with Future Industries in such a bad state.”

“I know. And the others knew too by the way. We weren’t mad or anything, so don’t worry. But when you agreed to go to the glacier spirits festival she was really happy, and you weren’t even good friends then!” Asami cringed as he happily reminded her of a time when the awkwardness between her and Korra was so palpable that people who never even met them before could tell it was there.

“Yeah, I was really glad to have come, even though everything got really crappy really quickly.”

“We were glad you came too! It was so much fun playing all the games, and remember when you did that strength-test thing where you dropped the mallet and the thingy hit the bell? I couldn’t even get it to do that and then you just calmly walked up and just hit it and ding ding ding! Mako was so impressed that he forgot to be weird around you for like five whole minutes! Remember that?”

Asami chuckled at the memory and nodded happily.

“So what are you gonna do while Korra’s gone?” He asked her.

“As much work as I can to catch up with everything I guess. Raiko sent over a contract and requested that I fix up the city infrastructure, and that’s really keeping everyone busy.”

“You already started on that?”

“Yeah, I got his request a little after we left for the Earth Kingdom. The plans are already coming together and it should take only a couple years to get it all done. There’s a lot of collaborating going on right now and my delegates pass the best designs they get up to me for approval.”

“That’s so weird. I mean you’re basically rebuilding the whole city!” Bolin said excitedly.

“Well not all of it.”

“What are you starting on first?”

Asami looked around suspiciously and leaned in close to Bolin. “Can you keep a secret?”

He nodded hastily and listened intently. “Okay, well I just got permission to rename the park in Korra’s name, and I commissioned a statue of her last Wednesday. It should be completed in a few weeks.” Asami grinned as Bolin stared at her incredulously.

“You’re making a giant Korra?! For Korra?! Here in the city?!”

“It’s great, right? I just really hope she likes it.”

“Of course she’ll like it. She likes anything you do.”

Asami looked out to the horizon, in the direction where Korra was sailing away and smiled. Of course Bo would know that, Korra told him personal things all the time. He knew her better than most and she trusted him so much.

“That’s weird,” He told her pointedly.

“What’s weird Bo?”

“You look like what Mako said I look like when I think about my Opal.”

Asami’s eyes went wide and her pulse quickened. There was no way Bolin figured it all out was there?

“Asami?” he said, dragging her name out. “Do you like her?” he squeaked. 

“Of course I like her! She’s my best friend!” she said defensively.

“Oh…my…spirits.” His jaw hung open and he stared at Asami like she suddenly began airbending or something. “You like her! Like ‘like’ like her! Wait, do you love her? You love her!” His grin grew so big that she feared his skin would split.

Asami tensed and was about to begin telling how wrong he was, but it actually felt good for someone to know. She felt like a weight dropped off her shoulders. This was one of her only friends and he looked so very happy for her that she found her defense crumble and nodded.

“Opal called it but I was all like ‘no Asami isn’t into Korra like that’ but you so are!”

“Opal knows?” 

“Mhmm, she told me that she figured it out back in Zaofu but I had no idea she was right. Wow, this is awesome. You guys should so date. Especially since Korra likes you back.”

“How did you figure out that she likes me?” she asked him with a surprised smile, relaxing once again and stroking Pabu’s head.

“Are you kidding me? The girl stares at you only all the time. I’ve never seen anyone check anyone out so much as she did you.”

Asami laughed at that. “I think some of that is my fault. I sorta made sure she had something to stare at.”

“Wait so you knew she liked you? Why aren’t you two together then?”

Asami sat quietly for a few moments, sighing deeply. “There’s no time for that right now. And she’s really hurt and I’m not giving her yet another thing to worry about.”

“That’s really considerate Asami.” He told her quietly and hugged her with one hand, drawing her into his side and accidentally getting Asami’s clothes soaked.

“Thank’s Bo.” Asami laughed as she felt the coolness from his clothes seep into her own.

“No problem. Hey can we go back in? I’m sort of really wet and cold.”

“Well so am I thanks to you you jerk.”

He chuckled as they stood up and made their way towards the dormitories, keeping up a light banter the whole way. As Asami walked with him she felt that maybe Korra’s absence wouldn’t be as hard to cope with as she thought, after all it would only be a few weeks.


	6. Chapter 6

The loud knock on the office door told Asami that Bolin was back with their lunch. A week after Korra left he began to eat with Asami in her office every day, and it was her favorite part of the day. The several boxes of food were dangerously balanced in his arms and the tray with their drinks was on the brink of collapse as he shuffled through the door. Asami jumped up and jogged around her desk to help him with the takeout and after setting the food onto the small table in the center of the room they both gratefully collapsed onto the couch Asami kept in her office. The aroma of the food wafted throughout the room and she couldn’t help but laugh with Bo when her stomach rumbled loudly. They ate in mirth and for the first time all day Asami’s thoughts drifted away from the girl who took her heart with her, the girl she missed so dearly.

“Hey, I have some news,” Bolin said happily as he slurped the green noodles. Asami bit into a dumpling while waiting patiently as he tried to swallow his food. “Since Opal left for Ba Sing Se, and Mako’s all busy with work, I figured I should do something too.” He shuffled around his pants’ pocket and pulled out a folded up sheet of paper.

Asami eyed it cautiously, unsure of how Bolin decided he would help, and took it from him gingerly. The paper crinkled as she unfolded it and suddenly her day was no longer as good as she thought it’d be. The ‘enlistment’ form was filled in, Bolin’s blocky handwriting scribbled over the empty spaces. Asami felt her jaw clench and her heart beat speed up. Bolin was her best friend, no if’s, and’s, or but’s, he supported her and he was the one she talked to about troubles. He was her best friend, and the only one out of their team with no way to help, she would get over herself. Her shock was quickly replaced with a sad smile and she looked up at him. He was sitting on the edge of the couch, his expression expectant, and his anticipation was palpable.

“When are you leaving?” She was grateful her voice didn’t crack like it wanted to.

Bolin gave her a huge smile. “So you’re okay with this?”

“If you really want this then who am I to stop you, right?”

“I really do want to do this, and you’re only the second to know. Well the first since I sent Korra the letter this morning so she didn’t get it yet.”

Asami looked at him in surprise. “Wait, so Mako and Opal don’t know yet?”

“I’m telling Mako tonight, and Opal is off grid for now so I can’t really contact her,” at the mention of Opal he smiled gently. “I really hope that she will be okay with this, because I know how hard it is to have the person you love be stuck in the middle of a warzone.” He intently gazed at his chopsticks as he twirled them in his hands absently. “I guess you know too, though.”

Asami inhaled sharply and clenched her jaw as her eyes teared up. “I do, don’t I. Did…did she …write to you?”

Bolin shook his head softly.

“I only sent her four letters so far. I keep waiting for someone to call and tell me that she’s back,” she spoke quietly.

Bolin hugged her with one arm and stroked her back lovingly. “Hey, look on the bright side! It’s been six weeks so she’s bound to get back any day now right?!”

Bolin’s hopeful tone did nothing to lift her hopes, but his affection made her feel better. She nodded and returned to her food, urging Bolin to do the same. Her appetite suffered from Bolin’s new plans, but she finished her plate anyway.

“If this all works out I’ll be shipped off by the end of the month,” he said softly.

“Be careful Bo. Please.”

“I know,” he assured her. “Now come on, you’re taking the rest of the day off cause we’re going down to the mall and getting me some new stuff. I heard the upper ring got a new smoothie place too.”

Asami chuckled and stood from her spot walking towards her desk. “You are a bad influence Bolin. I can’t get anything done when you are around.”

“That’s exactly what I’m here for!”

She told her secretary that she would be out for the rest of the day, and they promptly left the building arm in arm.

***

Korra sat in her bed and played with Naga’s fur as her companion rested by her side faithfully. She looked around her room, her eyes taking in all of the things she left behind so long ago. She looked at the shelf full of books, some from when she was a toddler others from later on in her life when she studied under the White Lotus, and reminisced about the days when Katara or her mom read her night time stories. Her favorites were tales of past avatars, how they defeated evil, how they fought valiantly to save the innocents. She wanted to be like those from her past, strived for it. And if anything, she really did think she had done a good job. Her biggest problem was, however, the unpopularity that her title held. She just couldn’t understand how the people didn’t see all the good that she’s done. Her frustration built until she let out a growl and swiped the letters on her nightstand to the floor in anger. Immediately regretting her actions she ran a hand through her hair and took a calming breath. Shuffling off the bed was difficult even with Naga’s help, and for a second she almost began missing the numbness that plagued her below the knees before she regained the feeling.

Through clenched teeth she settled in the cold floor, holding on to Naga for much needed comfort. The animal gently licked her cheek and settled at her side, warming her. The seething in her shins dulled and her heartrate slowed. She looked at the mess she made, and her eyes searched for a pink letter. The letter that made her feel something other than anger and exhaustion and pain. She pushed away some other papers until she found the pages she was looking for, and then took them carefully so as not to mess up the little glued on pink and blue stones and the glitter that covered most of the letter. The large, blocky print was written in pencil and some words were obviously erased and rewritten several times with erase marks spread throughout. When Korra first took the letter out of its envelope, sparkles fell out of it and covered the avatar and everything around her in a layer of shimmering colors. Even now her hands and clothes still had them. For some reason she liked that the glitter stuck to her for so long, sending her a reminder of this letter every time she saw her skin glisten. Her eyes roamed the papers and she reread the letter for the hundredth time

'Dear Miss Avatar Korra,  
My name is Tula and I am from the North Water Tribe. I am 7 and a half, and I have two little brothers. I love them very much. My daddy and mommy moved us to your city last week, and they took us to the jungle that you made. It was so much fun! I climbed the vines the highest out of all the other kids there and my mom even bought us all kompeito candies afterwards.  
They also took us to the big park and my dad told me that the lady who is fixing it named it after you. I also want to write a letter to her because she’s so nice to you. My dad told me that not a lot of people are as nice to you and that’s why you had to leave your city, but I just think that’s plain mean. My dad told me that if people are mean to me, then I should stand up for myself and be brave like you are. You are my hero! I also really liked the new spirit portal, I could see it from my window at night and it helped me fall asleep. My mom used to leave a lantern in my room before because I don’t like the dark at all, but now I don’t need it anymore because I know that the spirits like to hang out in my city and they are nice and protect me and my brothers. One of them lives in my best friend’s house! It lives on the roof because they have a lot of ice figures on their roof and it’s so cool! Sometimes when I used to play with my best friend the spirit came too and we would play in the snow with him.  
I’m a little sad that we moved away from my house, but now I live in your city and I’ll get to see you for real when you come back. Maybe we could play in the jungle too. I saw a picture in a newspaper where you were in a wheel chair, so if you can’t climb then maybe we could do something else. My grandma is in a wheelchair too, but I love her anyways. Sometimes she gets a little tired though after she gives me rides in her chair, so I try not to bother her too much for rides anymore because I’m getting big now, but I still tell my brothers that they should let her give them rides because she’s really happy when we play with her. She used to be in bed all the time, but then mommy and dad bought her the chair and so she always sits in it now instead of just napping.  
My mom is telling me to go to bed because it’s already late here so I have to go but I’ll write you another letter soon.  
Love Tula.'

In the corner of the last page there was a small doodle of three boys and an arrow pointing to them saying ‘these are my brothers Lao and Tui and the big boy is my best friend Tukko they said you are their hero too.’ Korra felt herself smile as she read the child’s letter and laughed a little when she noticed that a new layer of glitter stained her fingers. Naga’s head shot up at the sound of Korra’s soft laughter and she panted happily. She spent the next few hours resorting all of the letters and put them in separate piles, returning them to her nightstand. The collection of pink papers with their blocky words and excessive glitter lay on top of the biggest pile, the pile that housed letters from people all over the world thanking her for what she’s done for them.

It was getting late and her legs began to ache again, so she got Naga to help her get back onto the bed and settled comfortably in the sheets. Naga nuzzled her face and licked her cheek again, making Korra smile. She settled in for the night, pulled the blankets over her shoulders, and prayed that the nightmares stay away tonight.

***

Asami looked in her reflection and sighed in annoyance. Her skirt felt loose again, her blouse hung from her shoulders, her blazer no longer fit. Ugh! She just gotten it refitted last month! It wasn’t Asami’s fault that she had no appetite. Besides, she had way too much work to do in the city to take too many brakes. And she ate dinner at night anyway so it wasn’t like she was starved. Yeah maybe one meal a day was not exactly a good thing, but she tried, really. 

Turning away from her reflection, she wiped the water from her hands and left her bathroom. She took a second to take in her office, the cluttered desk, the pristine couches and the small table between them, the overflowing bookshelves. All of it used to bring joy to her, she honestly loved her job, but now there was only indifference. It wasn’t that she didn’t like work anymore, it was just that this was all she had. Bolin was away, Mako was working, Tenzin was surrounded by a frenzy of airbenders moving in and out of the island, constant skirmishes in an effort to restore the Earth Kingdom. And she was here, in an office signing off on contracts and approving projects. She was here every day seven days a week, from early mornings to late evenings. And once again, she was left behind by everyone. She was all alone.

One good thing did come of this, the city was well on its way in its restoration. The spirit wilds would be opened to tourists within only three months and the roads and transit were all several stages ahead of the projected timelines. 

Asami sat behind her desk and pulled a pile of papers closer to her. She took her favorite pen and signed the approval for outsourcing engineers from the Fire Nation. She placed the packet into the ‘approved’ pile, and turned to the next document. The routine became automatic for her and her thoughts began to wonder. She thought of Bolin, out in dangerous territories, fighting rebels and bandits and unruly citizens. She thought of Mako, the boy who became one of the city’s greatest public heroes and achieved the position of a detective before he even reached his twenties, who was currently babysitting a spoiled prince. She made a mental note to attempt to get together for lunch with him, already knowing that she wouldn’t ever get around to asking him, she was just too tired and her work was too demanding. She thought about many things. Things like her loneliness, and her inability to find happiness. Things like deciding that she would try to do even more for her city, to make sure that people are as happy as she hoped for them all to be.

The intercom beeped and her secretary’s voice came through, “Miss Sato, there’s an Opal Beifong here to see you. She says that she needs to talk to you.”

Panic shot through her. Opal was supposed to be in Earth Kingdom, and last Asami heard she was side by side with Bolin and her adoptive sister. Worst case scenarios flashed through her mind, the most prominent being the thought Bolin bloodied and broken, dying on the battlefield.

“Send her in!” she replied frantically. Unable to sit still she stood and paced the floor impatiently. When Opal entered seconds later, Asami was on her immediately. “What’s wrong? Where’s Bolin? Oh, spirits is he okay?! We should have never let him join Kuvira. Fuck!”

Opal looked at her with wide eyes, taking in Asami’s frantic form, the tears streaming down her face. “Asami, calm down! Everything is okay,” she assured the shaking woman and grasped her shoulders, “Bolin’s safe.”

Asami finally really looked at Opal. The airbender stood before her, out of her flight suit and dressed in casual clothing, her bag hanging off her shoulder, nothing about her showed any signs of distress, and Asami immediately felt foolish, and pathetic for jumping to such awful conclusions. 

Opal walked her over to the couch and they both sat down. Asami tried to calm her rapid breathing but the adrenaline and the pent up emotions were getting the best of her. She hugged her head between her palms and leaned her elbows on her knees. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I- I, uh, don’t know what that was.”

“Asami, what’s going on?” Opal asked her cautiously.

“I’m just a little tired.” Asami sat back up and took a deep breath. She wiped the tears that streaked her face and turned to Opal, unsure of what to do now. 

Opal eyed her cautiously. “When was the last time you took a day off?”

“Opal I’m free from work every Sunday,” Asami replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“And what do you do every Sunday?”

“I don’t know. Tinker and stuff. I’m actually building a new car for myself right now.”

“Asami, when was the last time you visited Tenzin and his family?”

Asami opened her mouth to speak, but promptly averted her eyes and looked down in her lap in shame. This, her condition, was no one’s fault but hers. She became distant. It wasn’t anyone’s responsibility to babysit her, and that’s what she was, a giant fucking child. How could she let herself be so self-destructive all the time she’ll never know. 

“Okay. Well I’m here because Bolin told me to check up on you when I got back. Since you’re a hermit now, I’m taking you out. Come on get your stuff.”

“Opal I have so much to do here today I-” 

“I really doubt your company will combust if you take an afternoon off.”

“I really don’t want to-”

“Asami, look at yourself.” Opal looked at her sadly and nodded towards Asami’s coat. Resigned, Asami collected her things and followed Opal out of her office. 

Opal took her out to lunch, and for the first time in months Asami felt content and sated. After eating, the girls spent the day relaxing, getting massages, manicures, Asami took Opal for a drive around her racetrack, and Asami actually genuinely smiled. Nostalgia and longing hit her like a truck and she felt foolish for wasting so much time in isolation. She decided there and then that she would change her habits and stop wrecking the few relationships she had.

***

Korra walked into the dining room cautiously, careful not to misstep. Her cane was left in the hallway just behind her, and her confidence soared as she approached her destination. She managed to walk on her own down the long hall all the way to the table where her parents and a few others sat. When Senna saw her daughter, sweaty and out of breath, shuffling towards them without any support, she nearly overturned the table as she jumped up and ran over to help her.

“Korra! Where’s your cane?”

“Look mom, I walked here on my own,” Korra said excitedly, “no cane or anything the whole length of the hall.”

Senna took hold of Korra’s arm, giving her much needed support, while her father helped her from the other side. “At this rate I’ll be able to get around no problem again! And maybe I’ll even get to train soon-”

“Avatar Korra, you need to be more cautious. This isn’t something you can just take lightly,” interrupted the captain of the white lotus unit in charge of Korra. 

Korra stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him. Her smile disappeared and the excitement from her accomplishment was forgotten. “You think I’m taking this lightly?” she growled.

“How dare you!?” reprimanded Senna.

“Get out,” Tonraq threatened.

The captain looked at them all, sheepishly apologized and after a bow took a hasty retreat, every pair of eyes except korra’s on him as he briskly left through the door. The Avatar broke loose from her parents’ grip and walked slowly to her seat at the table. The silence in the room was deafening and the tension closed in around everyone there. Korra shuffled her chair in closer to the table and began putting food on her plate. No one moved. She grinded her teeth and gripped her chopsticks tightly. She waited until someone spoke up, clutching at the sticks, her hand hovering over her plate. She felt everyone waiting, for what she didn’t know, and she doubted they knew either, and her annoyance ate at her.

“Korra, honey-”

“What!” She regretted lashing out at her mom immediately, but didn’t show it.

Her father took the chance to speak, “you really do have to be cautious Korra. What he said was insensitive and rude, but he was right. You can’t just forgo Katara’s instructions and not use the cane.”

Korra slammed her fist on the table, the tableware jumping and rattling as the table shook. She drew a shuddering breath and shut her eyes. She distinctly heard someone walk in, but she was too tired and upset to care who it was until they spoke.

“Hello everyone. What’s happened here?” Katara asked everyone, her tone surprised.

Korra heard her father reply, “Korra walked here on her own. Without her cane.”

“Oh, I told you you could do it, Korra. Didn’t I? How was it?” She walked over to the girl, who was still refusing to look up. Katara eyed her and furrowed her brows in concern. “You seem distraught; maybe it was too early to have you exercise walking without it.” Katara smoothed over her hair and Korra finally looked up.

“I’m not hungry, can someone get me my chair?” Korra quietly demanded. A guard nodded at her and left the room quickly.

“Katara, you told her it was okay to do this?” Tonraq asked her.

“Yes I wanted for her to walk ten to fifteen meters a day without aid. It should help improve her recovery drastically. But if it wore you out so much, then maybe we should put it off for one more week?”

“No, it didn’t wear me out. I made it here without a hitch.”

The guard that just left walked back in with Korra’s wheelchair and she scooted out from the table and moved to the chair. Her hands moved with developed habit and she rolled out of the dining room, grabbed her cane as she passed by and began making her way towards her room. 

She was just settling into her bed, hugging Naga’s massive muzzle, when there was a knock on her door.

“Go away,” she said hoarsely. She didn’t want to cry, but she couldn’t stop the tears that leaked down her cheeks.

“Please Korra, I need to talk to you,” her mom said gently. When Korra didn’t reply, Senna creaked open the door and walked in. She sat next to Korra and petted Naga as she started talking. 

“I’m sorry Korra. We all shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions, we should have trusted you to make smart decisions.”

“Damn right you should have,” her voice rose in volume as she let her frustration out, “I am the freaking Avatar! I saved republic city twice, and fought Vaatu without Raava’s help. I stopped a revolution, helped give a voice to non-benders in Republic City, opened the spirit portals which haven’t been open in ten thousand years, assisted finding the new airbenders, and defeated the fucking Red Lotus. I defeated Amon, and I got my bending back. I spent a whole month restoring people’s chi-paths nonstop. I did that all in less than two years. I am a good avatar, but everyone seems to doubt the fact that they need me until it’s too late!”

Her breathing was heavy as she continued, but her voice was nearly a whisper, “and now I’m learning how to walk again. Mom, I couldn’t walk. A man took me and hurt me, and I couldn’t walk and now I can again. How can anyone think that I’m not being careful? I’m more cautious than any of you. I’m the one that’s not working like I should, so why is everyone treating me like I’m gonna go penguin sledding and ice dodging if you all look away from me for a second? It’s not like I can ‘run’ away!”

“I’m sorry. I know honey. It’s just we’re so worried about you.”

“I know, but I can make my own decisions mom,” Korra pleaded.

“I know. I’ll talk to your dad and the sentries. We’ll get through this.”

“Okay. I’m tired. I’m going to go to sleep.” Korra gave Naga one more squeeze and turned away towards the wall. Senna sighed, kissed Korra’s cheek, and patted Korra’s back affectionately before leaving the room.

“Goodnight Korra.”

***

The laughter of children woke Asami up from her slumber. Her eyes slipped open and the plain furnishings of her room greeted her. The ray of light that shone through her window told her that today would be another warm day, much to her liking. The post-waking bliss of lying in the warm bed felt less foreign to her now, but it was still a luxury she was more than happy to abuse. A month of staying on Air Temple Island was the best thing that happened to her since… well since just before the last stand with Zaheer. No, Asami decided, she would not spoil this day by focusing on the negatives and she would try to make this day count. She wasn’t alone anymore. She had welcoming friends on the island, and even got along better with the kids. Another bout of laughter drifted in through her window and the negative thoughts were forgotten.

A smile spread across her face and she sleepily got out of bed and made her way to the showers. Mornings on the island were always grand affairs. Acolytes buzzed around the island, some going to and from meditation sessions, others enjoying the beauty of their residence. A few Air benders were feeding and playing with the bison. Through one of the windows on the way to the baths she spotted Bumi chasing Kai, who once again took his wallet, and saw Meelo training some lemurs. She chuckled quietly and walked into the washroom.

After a refreshing shower, and a wardrobe change, Asami went outside to greet the boys playing outside. Kai was nowhere to be found while Meelo was in a tree’s shade concentrating over a notebook when Asami got to him.  
“Morning,” she greeted the boy with a smile.

“Why hello there, princess,” flirted Meelo.

Asami raised her brows at him but he already turned his attention back to his booklet. She took a seat next to him and leaned back against the tree.

“Whatcha doing Meelo?” Asami asked curiously.

“Planning out strategies,” he replied carefully without looking up.

“For what?”

“Well I already taught all the lemurs defensive maneuvers, so now I’m trying to think on how I can get the flying-monkeys in on the action.”

“That sounds like fun, need any help?”

Meelo made and indignant noise, “fun?! This isn’t supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to be orderly and thorough!”

A breeze went by in that moment, and some of the loose papers sticking out of the book flew out towards Asami. A look of sheer terror passed Meelo’s face as Asami caught the sheets before they escaped. On the sheets there wasn’t any strategy outlines, or maps, or lists, there were sketches. Sketches of the bison, of the people, of nature. They all looked polished and accurate and they all looked extremely good. Like really, extremely good.

“Meelo, these are…amazing!” Asami exclaimed.

“Give them back!”

The boy’s temper surprised her. He was usually rowdy and loud, but he was never angry at her, ever. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“Yes you did, if you didn’t then you wouldn’t have looked!”

“Meelo, why are you hiding these?”

He glared at her and ripped the papers out of her hands. He stuffed them back into the pages of his book and stood up to leave.

Asami looked on as he gathered his things and began to walk away. “Meelo?” she shouted after him, the boy stopped and turned to her, his face contorted in anger and hurt. “You know it’s okay to like to draw and be a soldier, right?”

His face changed to that of surprise for a split second, and he turned again, walking fast into the dining hall.

Later that night, after Asami came back to the island from work, she caught Meelo trying to sneak into her room. The boy looked at her sheepishly, hiding something behind her back.

“Hey, Meelo,” she said while trying not to laugh.

“Oh, hey there gorgeous.” He leaned on the frame of the door, trying hard to look nonchalant and innocent. 

“What are you doing here this fine evening?” The need to laugh was overpowering but Asami stifled it.

“Oh, just hanging out.”

“Really? What’s behind your back?”

Meelo turned a shade of red and contemplated his next move. His shoulders drooped and he pouted before showing her the sheet of paper that was in his hands. Asami gently took it from him, smiling, and unfolded it. Her heart seized when piercing eyes looked back at her. The drawing was very lifelike, its realism making it appear as if it was a photo. Korra looked exactly how she did all those years ago at the gala Tarrlok threw for her. Her hair was loose and Asami could spot a touch of make up on her delicate features. Meelo drew Korra for her, and all the laughter that was threatening to escape moments ago dissipated, while fresh tears made her vision swim.

“Thank you Meelo,” she whispered.

“Yeah, just don’t go around telling people that I’m nice or anything.”

A wet chuckle escaped her lips and she pulled the boy into a tight hug.

“Huh, so you do love her,” he said offhandedly as she released him, effectively making her freeze.

“What?” she choked out.

“Kai told me that Jinora said that you love Korra, and she was right.” His matter-of-fact tone surprised her almost as much as his very accurate, meaning entirely correct, accusation. 

“Uh-um…”

“It’s okay, Korra is my Commanding Officer so you’re in good hands,” he told her with a smile. “But if she’s being un-lady like then you come to me, and I’ll sort it out one-on-one.” He puffed out his chest, saluted her and glided away on an airscooter. 

Asami held the picture up again examining it as she walked into her room for the night.


	7. Chapter 7

_Dear Korra,_   
_I hope you’re doing better. I know that things are difficult right now but you’re strong. Everyone here’s rooting for you. Tenzin got back a few hours ago and told us that you’ve began training again and everyone couldn’t be happier. I’m really, very proud of you._   
_As for everyone here, things are very busy for the most part. The airbenders are getting more and more civilian volunteers to help them out in the towns that are still struggling, and many places are already well on their feet. It’s still pretty difficult getting supplies out to some of them, although General Kuvira was successful in uniting the majority of the regions. The response from charities and non-profits are astronomical. Last I heard the Earth Kingdom was steadily stabilizing. Also Meelo has managed to train nearly half the air bison, and I wished you were here to see Tenzin’s face when they flew in military formations. I’ve never seen him more regretful of ever insisting that his son take up training Poki. He grumbled about it for days after Oogi practically marched after him everywhere._   
_Future Industries is also doing well. We’re nearly done with the infrastructure and this is by far my favorite project. The spirit wilds are getting more popular and crowded every day, and the spirits are getting used to the people. I see more interaction between them and us all the time now, especially the kids. I still can’t believe that Raiko gave me the contract to fix the city. I guess I have you to thank for that. It really does payoff to be best friends with the savior of the world. By the time you get back the city should be all cleaned up and fixed. I can’t wait to show you around, I even have a surprise waiting for you!_   
_L Missing You, Asami._   
_PS Happy Birthday! I really hope it was a good one._

Asami’s letters always held news and updates on how things were going back in RC. Asami became Korra’s window into a life that she lost the moment Zaheer got out of prison. Every letter Korra received made her entire day brighter, and more than anything she longed for her friend to be by her side. Korra read the letter over and over again, a small smile tugging at her lips and a warm feeling at her heart. Her eyes wondered to the end, the scribbled over ‘L’, and she allowed herself to feel giddiness if only for a moment. When she first got the letter four weeks ago the scribble looked just like that, a scribble, but Korra had a lot more free time than she ever did before and so after a few long hours of staring at the ink and scrutinizing the page she could make out the shape that was crossed out. It was also difficult to tell what the blotch was because Asami’s meticulous handwriting always got more sloppy and quick by the end of her letters, as if she was too excited to keep a neat pace. For some reason, that reason possibly being Korra’s endless appreciation and massive crush on the engineer, the thought made Korra blush and her stomach flutter.

Of course Korra also knew about what the surprise was. Asami named the park after her and built her statue in the middle of it. Korra couldn’t believe it at first when Ikki spilled the news in a letter she sent Korra a few days after Asami’s letter. Apparently the young airbender wasn’t aware that it was supposed to be a surprise and in her excitement over the whole thing, she meticulously, although somewhat scatter-brained, described the details of the statue and how big it was, and how crowded it got. Asami’s commitment to Korra made her extremely happy, and she was certain that her recovery was this far along because of the support and love her friends showed her through their words.

Asami especially had been such a trooper throughout this whole ordeal and Korra was more than grateful. Whenever the longing for the way things were got too demanding, Asami was always the first one on her mind. She kept her letters closest to her bed, with the exception of the few letters from strangers that she valued so dearly, and in her darkest moments she found that it was Asami’s writing that calmed her most, Asami’s elongated t’s and loopy i’s, and the lingering smell of her perfume that stayed on the sheets for weeks after she received them.

It was also the only ones she replied to. She might not have ever sent the letters she wrote, they were too unhappy, too dark, too raw, but she did write. Her gaze went towards the drawer that held all of the letters Korra wrote as replies. All of them full of scratched out words and tear stains. She remembered the first time she wanted to write back. Her hands shook too much as fatigue from exertion set in, and her words were too unfocused, too random and scattered like her thoughts. She couldn’t find the strength to send them, nor had she ever re-read them herself, but she felt more connected to her friend when she wrote.

Korra missed Asami so much. She missed the city that brought her friends to her, and she missed the sounds and lights and even smells of the streets that she became familiar with over the course of her stay with Tenzin. She missed the quiet of the island that was always interrupted by the playful chirps and purrs of the lemurs and the bellows of bison. She missed it all, and she wanted to go back.

Besides there wasn’t anything more that could be done here, she was stuck in the same stage of her recovery for nearly a month now and it was wearing on her more than she thought she was able to handle in her still fragile state. She was sure of it, going back was the best course of action for her, and she decided to tell her parents about her plan to return at dinner.

She re-read the letter one more time, and then carefully placed it on the ever growing pile of papers. It sometimes broke Korra’s heart that Asami’s letters were the most numerous. She wrote every day, and she didn’t sound like she expected Korra to ever reply. Well she did at first, and at that time there was usually a week between the letters to give Korra a chance to get back to her, but after several months the frequency of the mail increased and the questions that asked for a reply ceased. Asami no longer asked how Korra was, or how everything was moving along, and Korra hated that she made Asami settle for that routine.

She wondered how everyone was still so patient with her, and why no one grew apart as much as she figured they would. Yes there was some strain showing up in some letters from Mako and Bolin, the kids stopped sending drawings, except Meelo who always sent her amazing ones, and letters from the Beifongs became rarer than ever, but she felt their love in each and every envelope that made it to the south. Bolin’s were probably the most entertaining, with him recounting the adventures he got into with Varrick and the good deeds he and the army did in the troubled towns. Mako’s were familiar, she could practically feel the awkwardness and goofiness radiating off of them, and when he didn’t joke about the weather he was always able to make her feel better, even occasionally sending in new one-liners he planned on using when he got back to his normal job and no longer had to babysit a prince.

She missed her friends and she was going to go back. She collected her thoughts, stood up off of her bedside and began making her way to the dining hall to speak with her parents. On the way there she thought back to the letter and remembered her own excitement when Asami wished her a happy birthday. She still wasn’t ready to send another letter, sending the last one took so much out of her that she couldn’t do it again just yet, but just seeing that Asami still remembered and cared enough to send her a care package of gifts Tenzin’s kids made for her, and Asami’s horrid attempt at homemade taffy, which she profusely apologized for in the next letter she sent, right after Kai apparently voiced what everyone else was to kind to say and called them death-lumps.

Korra nearly choked when she first tried one, and wondered how Asami didn’t realize that she created a weapon more dangerous than almost anything the team faced off against in the past. Even Naga wouldn’t come near them, whining softly after Korra tried to feed some to her. But Asami made the candy, and Korra loved it even if it did almost poison all the guards that had the misfortune to come upon them. She snickered at the memory and thought about the birthdays they celebrated together. Mako’s was celebrated at a Pro-Bending game, while also somehow being serious although very fun especially when he nearly fell over the balcony while shouting at his loosing team, and Bolin’s was held at a local bar, which was apparently run by the Terra triad and the night ended with Mako calling in nearly his whole precinct when they all found out. Asami’s was a little different, but it was her absolute favorite celebration because that’s when she truly made the first step to becoming her friend.

*0*0*0*

It was shortly after Korra stopped Asami from leaving to the United Forces that she learned that Asami was turning nineteen soon. Birthdays were always grand celebrations for Korra, with her parents visiting the compound and all the guards getting together for a grandiose feast. The presents weren’t an issue either. Katara always gave Korra the coolest gifts, like one year she gave Korra a vial of healing water from the sacred waters in the North, and another she gifted a beautiful saddle for Naga that Korra still used to this day. Korra always seen birthdays as happy days filled with wonderful memories and spent with her family, and it was one of the few times that she didn’t argue with any guards since they always gave her slack and let her roam the snowy expanse surrounding the compound without issue.

She only found out about Asami’s birthday because Lin asked her to come in for another round of questioning, since Hiroshi’s trial was nearly done and she was a witness in the court, and gave Korra a file on him, which included basic information on Yasuko and Asami, information such as the date of Asami’s birth, which was only a little over a week away. Korra profusely cursed when she found out, pissing Lin off in the process, and virtually sprinted towards the island after she was finally free to go. She just had to inform Pema about the surprise party Korra planned on her way back from the precinct.

She meticulously planned the party, sent the boys out on errands, and helped Pema with the food when the time came. Everyone kept the party a secret from the birthday girl, which was easy considering Asami was always at work, and on the day of, Korra went to Future Industries to collect her.

Everything was going perfectly, the weather was sunny and bright, the traffic was light and she made good time. Asami’s security let Korra pass without much trouble once they realized she’s the Avatar and she made her way to Asami’s office.  
“Asami, you here?” Korra asked with a light knock on the office door.

There was a muffled reply, “Come in.”

Korra stepped through the threshold and looked around the large room struggling to look passed the piles upon piles of papers and the occasional blueprint stacked everywhere. Her gaze finally landed on Asami’s back and the girl looked through a filing cabinet frantically.

“Hey ‘Sami.”

Korra was met with no answer, but heard Asami mumble to herself. She took in her disheveled appearance and finally noticed the tension practically radiating off of the young CEO. She looked like a wreck and it was a sight Korra never thought she’ll see. She walked over to her, and gently placed her hand on Asami’s shoulder, making the girl jump.

“Spirits! Korra you scared me,” she said, holding a palm over her chest.

“Sorry,” Korra chuckled.

“What are you doing here?”

“Pema made an awesome lunch and I figured you would want some, so I’m stealing you and taking you back to the island to eat with us.”

A saddened look made its way to Asami’s features, and she turned her attention to the papers on her desk and the floor surrounding it. Korra realized that Asami thought that no one knew about her birthday and inviting her to a family lunch was probably only rubbing salt in her wounds. But as much as it broke Korra’s heart to make her think that her special day went forgotten, she knew that the payoff would be worth it. If anything, Korra wanted to see the look on Asami’s face when she came in and everyone shouted ‘surprise’ at her.

“I have a lot of wor-”

“Nope, you need a break. No one’s seen you for ages cause you’re always here. Now come on, up and at ’em.” Korra practically pulled Asami out of the room and shooed her out of the building. Asami was perplexed the whole time, her knuckles tight on the wheel of her satomobile.

At the ferry Asami looked even more downcast, while Korra got giddier and giddier but tried her best to suppress it. Korra pulled Asami off the boat by her arm, excitedly hauling her up the stairs leading to the dining hall. Urging Asami to go in first Korra finally allowed herself a grin, and waited for the loud greeting that Asami was about to receive. Asami grabbed the door and slid it open just as a chorus of voices could be heard.

“Surprise!”

The shout was deafening, and Korra watched attentively as Asami froze. Within moments Asami was enveloped in a group of people, all congratulating her and wishing her well. Korra stood in the threshold and watched the scene with a smile. Asami looked completely overwhelmed and shocked. Tenzin rested his arm on Asami’s shoulder and led her to the table that held a massive cake with nineteen candles lighting up simultaneously, curtesy of Mako’s bending, and everyone surrounded the table as Asami stood there looking at her cake. She swallowed hard, and after a moment of complete silence from everyone else she took a deep breath and blew out the candle, laughing and grinning as everyone crowded excitedly around her.

For the first time, Korra saw Asami carefree and happy, and realized that seeing her this way made Korra feel good. She didn’t know when it happened, but somewhere along their journey together Korra realized that she wanted Asami to be happy. She took a few more moments to observe the engineer interacting with everyone, chuckling when Bolin lifted Asami into a tight hug and spun her around, and then made her way towards the table to join in on the festivities.

The party lasted into the late evening, until Mako and Bolin had to run to catch the last ferry of the day and to their brand new apartment, and Pema had to take the kids to sleep. The acolytes, Tenzin, and Bumi began cleaning up the mess they all made, so Korra took advantage of the moment and went up to congratulate Asami personally.

She was sitting on the floor holding one of her presents in her lap, a blueprint of the first blimp ever built that Bumi acquired from his travels and kept for nearly twelve years before giving it to her because ‘you’re the first person I’ve met that might actually be excited about the thing!’. Korra walked over to her and took a seat by her side.

“Hey,” she greeted Asami softly.

“…thank you Korra,” Asami whispered.

Korra wrapped her arm around Asami’s shoulder for a half hug and smiled at her happily. “Well what are friends for? Besides, I think you deserve to have some fun Miss Big-shot.”

“I mean it. Thank you, for everything. I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for you.”

“Probably getting whipped into shape by some loud and obnoxious drill sergeant.”

Asami snickered and leaned onto Korra. This all felt strange, this weird affection, but Korra couldn’t find it in herself to care. She liked Asami and her only regret was not giving her a chance sooner.

“Hey, I got you something. I mean, I didn’t exactly buy it or make it or whatever, but I think that you’ll really like it.”

Korra reached into her pocket and took out a small and thin frame clasped shut. She passed it over to Asami and waited for her to open it up. Asami’s thin fingers fumbled with the small clasp for a second, before she opened it and gasped, bringing a hand over her mouth as tears shone in her eyes. She looked at the picture nestled in the case, and her tears fell down her cheeks as she began crying. Korra hugged her closer and let Asami grip her by the shirt as she cried in Korra’s arms.

“Thank you,” Asami choked out mid sob.

“You’re welcome,” Korra said as she looked at the picture of Asami’s family from when she was a little girl. When Asami asked her how Korra got the picture she almost didn’t have the heart to tell Asami that it was Hiroshi’s and that she took it from his personal stuff in prison, but couldn’t think of an excuse so she settled for the truth. She expected Asami to cry more, or maybe get angry at Korra for giving her something of her father’s, he was a sore subject and she didn’t even go to his trials, but instead she just nodded. Korra gave her shoulder one more squeeze and excused herself to help out with the cleaning, leaving Asami to give her some time to admire the photo.

*0*0*0*

Korra watched as her armband floated away and sank beneath the shimmering waves. She stood by the water for several more minutes, looking down at her reflection, ignoring the glare from the sun hurting her eyes. The face staring back felt foreign to her, but that was the point. She made her decision the second she saw her ghost. She was not okay and returning to the city was not something that would help her heal. She had to do this on her own.

She took a deep breath and turned away from her reflection, sheathed the dagger, and got back into her boat.

“Raava…please… just say something. Please,” Korra tried one more time. When Raava’s comforting voice didn’t make an appearance she grit her teeth and clenched her jaw so that the stinging in her eyes would stop. “Okay…I’ll find you again. I promise.”

*0*0*0*

Korra wasn’t here. She’s been missing for six months now and no one knew where she was or that she was even gone in the first place. For the first time in months Asami didn’t eat dinner with everyone else, she just said her polite goodbyes and got onto her boat. The spray of the waves wet her skin as she raced through the water, and all the hope and eagerness that she’d built up for this day over the years came crashing down much harder than she ever thought possible. Silent tears roll down her face, mixing with the ocean’s spray, but she drove over the waves like nothing was wrong.

Korra was not coming back. Asami waited for three years, longed for her. She nearly sailed down to the South dozens of times, it was a constant thought that infiltrated her mind nearly every day. She cried herself to sleep more than she could count, and her nightmares got much more creative and imaginative after she witnessed Korra nearly die. Asami had breakdowns, and Bolin even had to send his girlfriend to get Asami to pull herself together. No, this wasn’t healthy, in fact it was the worst Asami had ever felt. The fight left her, and thoughts of pursuing Korra fled with it. If Korra ever came back Asami would be there, but she would no longer chase her. She was done.

It was nearly midnight by the time she got to her house and Asami was exhausted. She hadn’t been so tired since before she began staying over on the island on occasion, but this time there wasn’t enough work to distract her. She lay in bed of her empty mansion, staring at the ceiling. Everyone she ever loved left her. Her mother, taken too young, Hiroshi, for his own mistakes, and now Korra was taken from her too. Her gaze shifted to the small desk in her room. A pile of envelopes were hidden away in the back of the lowest drawer. She shifted on her bed towards the phone and dialed a number she knew by heart but never had found the strength to call.

“Republic City Prison. How may I help you?”

Asami shut her eyes and spoke, “This is Asami Sato, I wish to visit a prisoner.”

“Hello, Miss Sato. I’m assuming you’ll want to see your father?”

“Yes, Hiroshi.”

“Visiting hours start at one but for you we can make a private visit.”

“Thank you very much, is noon okay?”

“Yes, come in tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” She hung up the phone, and a new dread settled deep in her heart. She was going to see the man that singlehandedly ruined her life.

*0*0*0*

Korra walked into her old room, dragging the tips of her fingers over the furniture, as a smile settled on her lips. She was finally back, she was home. Everyone had been crowding her for the past half an hour and now she was finally allowed to escape to the comforts of her room. Everything felt the same as before, no one really changed except Rohan who, after seeing everyone greeting Korra, managed to climb onto her back and stayed there the whole time she was talking to everyone. Yes, everything felt the same, but at the same time absolutely everything was now different. She had spent the past six months alone, and all this socialization was tiring her out. Physically she felt great even after the beat down she received just yesterday. She felt so light and free without the poison, especially after traveling almost everywhere she went on foot. She had wondered for these past three years about why moving around still felt so stiff and demanding, but now a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Still at the moment all she really wanted to do was take a nap, but the only thing on her mind was her friends, waiting for her, just a short ferry ride away. She nervously tapped her foot, against the floor, and after psyching herself up stood to go to the radio room.

She asked the operator to connect her to the Police Headquarters and after asking around for Mako, ended up calling a hotel where Mako’s charge was staying.

“Hello? Mako speaking.” At the sound of his voice Korra grinned and her eyes teared up at the premise of her seeing the most important people in her life again.

“Hey Mako.”

“Korra?!” His surprised, shrill response got a laugh out of her and she heard him laugh too.

“I’m back.”

“I can see that. What-how are you? Where have you been? We were all worried.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. Hey listen, I’m planning on coming into the city today and I figured we can all have lunch. Just you, Asami, and me. You know, just to catch up.”

The happiness was practically radiating through the speaker as Mako spoke, “of course! Okay there’s this really nice place a few blocks over from the Hotel. I think you’ll love it,” Mako gave her the address happily.

“Sounds great. Meet you there in an hour?”

“Okay. It’s really great to hear your voice again.”

“…You too.”

“I’ll see you later Korra.” The happy lilt to his voice made the guilt inside of her grow tenfold.

Korra reconnected to the operator and this time with much trepidation asked for Future Industries. After several holds and four separate secretaries she finally had gotten to Asami’s personal assistant.

“Let me check if Miss Sato is free Avatar Korra.” She heard him speak something and after a long pause she heard her.

“Hello?” Asami’s voice was hesitant, nearly a whisper.

“Hi.” There was another long silence and Korra decided to be the one to break it. “I’m back ‘Sami.”

“Korra?” she asked with a shuddering breath, and the avatar realized that Asami was still unsure if she really was back.

“Yes.”

“You’re really back?”

“Yeah,” she replied with a guilt ridden chuckle.

“Hi Korra.”

“Hi Asami.”

“…I don’t really know what’s happening right now,” Asami said with a nervous chuckle.

“I really want to see you Asami.”

“I want to see you too.”

“I called Mako just now. We’re getting lunch, and I want you to be there. Is that okay?”

“Yes,” Asami said weakly.

“Asami? Are you okay?”

“I’m- I’m okay, yeah, I’m uh- right now I think I’m really really great,” Asami said with a laugh and Korra couldn’t help but grin.

“That’s great. So lunch?”

“Yes! Yes lunch sounds great.” Finally Asami sounded like her old self, even with the awkwardness between them on the phone call.

“I’ll see you soon then.”

“See you soon.”

Korra ended the call and changed into her spare clothes, shedding the Earth Kingdom green that she lived in for the past six months. She took a deep breath and stepped out her room and towards the dock, a blinding smile adoring her face. She would see her Asami soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! So I finally got through the gap between the two books and now the real fun begins! This was sort of hard to write because I want to write Korrasami dammit, but they were apart for three years. From now on there should be much more interaction between the two and not just them thinking of each other. If you’re still here, thanks for reading and sticking around!


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